Most shipments contained in trucks and shipping containers are locked via doors at the rear of the vehicle or shipping container. Typically, such shipping/cargo containers are assembled out of corrugated steel and are 8 feet wide, 8′ 6″ high, and 20′ long, although some are as long as 40′ or 45′. Often special locking devices are attached (See U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,584) and several commercially available units (e.g. the Omni SeaLock System from Omni Security Consultants, Inc. of Miami, Fla., USA) are available to attach to the two locking rods so the doors cannot be opened. In most cases, however, a simple seal with a fixed stamped number located on the front is used. These seals and numbers may be inspected by the consignee as well as customs authorities and others along the shipping route to insure that the freight is intact and has not been touched since it was shipped.
These systems however do not prevent the removal of freight by cutting a hole in the side or rear of a container to gain access. In many cases this hole can be sealed and paintedover, and then it appears as if it were a simple authorized repair. Selected objects may be removed from the container with the seal and lock still intact. It is estimated that over $50 billion worth of freight is stolen each year and most of this occurs with security seals intact. In addition security issues associated with September, 11 attacks have created concerns that dangerous materials (e.g. explosives, biological contaminants) useful to terrorists may be placed inside a truck or container and smuggled undetected into a target location.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system that dramatically reduces costs and makes possible real-time tracking of events, with the ability to log and detect openings and closings of repositories such as containers or trucks in near real-time, thus providing records and proof that a container or truck has been sealed since it was shipped. In addition the system is capable of providing an independent audit trial that goods were untouched within the container. As will be understood, such an audit trail is very valuable. for example, the exact time of an intrusion is important in assigning liability for insurance claims based upon theft and in determining reponsibility therefor.
This invention is related to to the system described in previous provisional U.S. application 60/515,074, filed Oct. 28, 2003, for authenticating temperature histories of objects such as pharmaceuticals. However, as will be understood based upon the present application, the present invention is implemented by real-time tracking and auditable logging of events (such as light levels, via a small photo detector) within repositories such as shipping containers, warehouses, as well as trucks, on a routine basis and for virtually every object contained in the repository to detect and unalterably record unauthorized intrusions into the shipping container or other repository. An important object of such unalterable recording is to authenticate the history of events within a cargo container or other receptacle and to immediately notify security personnel or government authorities (for example, by wireless transmission to satellites, whereby worldwide tracking of detected unauthorized intrusions can be achieved).